Wöhlerite is a complex sodium–calcium sorosilicate containing principally zirconium and niobium. It is the namesake of the wöhlerite group and was named for the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler. The mineral was first reported by Theodor Scheerer in 1843 from syenite pegmatites on Løvøya in the Langesundsfjord district of Norway; its crystal structure was determined by Stefano Mellini and Stefano Merlino in 1979.
Classification and structure The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association formally established the wöhlerite group in 2020. Minerals in the group have the general formula X8(Si2O7)2W4. Their principal structural feature is a four-column-wide wall of cation-centred polyhedra; adjacent walls are linked by corner sharing and by disilicate groups. Variations in cation ordering allow different symmetries and unit-cell settings.
Properties Wöhlerite shows pleochroic attributes, which is an optical phenomenon. Depending on which axis the mineral is being viewed, it would appear as if it is changing colors. Looking at the mineral from the x and y axis, it appears as a nearly colorless to pale yellow one, while viewing it on the z axis, it takes up a wine-yellow color. It is a granular mineral, and has prismatic crystals that can grow up to 3 cm. It is thick and tabular on {100}. Brøgger listed these forms to be the more frequent ones are {210}, {130}, {120}, {110}, {101}, {100}, {011}, {001}, {-101} and {-111} in 1890, although other forms observed include {720}, {311}, {121}, {111}, {021}, {012}, {010}, {-121}, {-161}, {-201}, {-211}, {-212} and {-221}. It has a paragenetic mode of syenites. Some of the associated minerals include zircon, microcline, nepheline, spreustein (natrolite after nepheline or sodalite), and the pyrochlore group. It is an accessory mineral in nepheline syenites, and in fenites it is associated with alkaline intrusives. In late phase it can be found in alkalic pegmatites, and it can also be found in carbonatites. It mainly consists of oxygen (35.22%) and calcium (19.26%) but otherwise includes silicon (14.21%), zirconium (11.54%), niobium (9.40%), sodium (5.82%), fluorine (2.88%) and iron (1.41%). The fracture of it is brittle and splintery, meaning that the brittle fracture leaves splintery crystal fragments. Since it is granular, it occurs in matrix in anhedral to subhedral crystals. It is a prismatic and tabular mineral as mentioned above, meaning crystal shape is typically a slender prism, and its dimensions are thin in one direction. Upon inspecting it under both long wave and short wave ultraviolet light, the mineral does not show luminescent properties. It is also not radioactive.
Occurrence The type locality is Løvøya, Norway. It was first described from several syenite pegmatites by Scheerer, and although the type locality is unknown, the island became listed as the type locality since it was mentioned by Scheerer. Although it is described for mainly appearing in alkalic rocks, there are reports of wöhlerite's carbonatite occurrence. This rare mineral occurs in calcite-silicate rocks with varying composition. The composition of the host rocks vary due to their heterogeneous nature. The mixed rocks form the complex's western margin of the central sövitic carbonatite intrusion. They are representing the intrusion's magmatic border facies.
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